Like most sneaker companies these days, New Balance is no stranger to collaboration. But in recent years, it's refined a specific, charming collaborative spirit to help supercharge its offering. Over the last five years, the Boston-based brand has called upon brands (like Aimé Leon Dore, JJJJound, Todd Snyder, and Casablanca) and celebrities (like Jaden Smith, Jack Harlow, and Salehe Bembury) to help give their shoes a fresh spin. And to help debut their newest footwear offering, the RC30, they’ve enlisted the help of none other than Donald Glover.
In terms of style, the RC30 is not too far off from the brand's XC-72 and 327 sneakers, and cleverly reimagines the sleek performance style of vintage running shoes. The silhouette even borrows from the New Balance Trackstar, adding a subtle but dynamic curve to the vintage classic’s signature ripple sole. Two colorways kick off the shoe’s debut: “Golden Hour,” which comes with a mustard base and white branding, and “Sea Salt,” with a white base and blue branding.
New Balance’s Joe Grondin, who heads up the brand’s global collaborations, shared that the collab offers “no loud colours or branding, just classic, easy-to-wear colorways of a new silhouette that fit Donald’s style."
sea salt with macadamia nut and nb navy • golden hour with nb burgundy and sea salt
Donald Glover presents the RC30. This new silhouette is a streamlined take on the time-warped, classic inspiration meets modern execution concept, with a focus on distinctive features unique to competitive racing models of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The upper features classic nylon with suede accents, while reducing the overall number of panels. Curved edge ‘N’ branding inspired by pre-N logo overlay designs, and midsole stripe detail offer subtle callbacks to racing comp design elements. An exaggerated rippled design brings contemporary proportions to the defining feature of the historic, original Trackster, while a curved outsole and midfoot lift mimic the idiosyncrasies that occurred with ‘70s construction methods.
